Eat Skinny: Chobani Mac N’ Cheese
PIN IT!Happy Monday friends and fans! Hope your weekend was great and all the mom’s (and moms to be) had a perfect day yesterday! Unlike today in the DC area, the weather was perfect! My weekend was great (although I’m kicking myself for not getting more done yesterday). One of the highlights was having the chance to meet up with some other amazing DC bloggers for a dinner sponsored by Chobani!
The meal was hosted at The Federalist, a swanky little restaurant in DC.
They had planned an amazing meal for us, including incredible gazpacho with minty Chobani. Really, like orgasmic almost. I”m not going to go into FULL detail of the dinner [recap will be tomorrow], but I do have to say THANK YOU again to our amazing host, Emily!
Saturday’s meal left me feeling incredibly inspired [albeit a little full/uncomfortable] to get into the kitchen and create something delicious with Chobani. Given that the yogurt itself is delicious, it’s not a hard feat to make something taste good using it. So yesterday, while I was putzing around the house watching Lifetime, I decided to make one of my absolute favorite meals a bit lighter and creamier by swapping in some CHO.
Baked mac n’ cheese! Well, not exactly mac because I didn’t have enough macaroni noodles. So I just threw in the rest of the elbow noodles I had, threw in some farfalle and a bit of spaghetti. I know, it sounds like a mad science experiment. But, the noodles don’t really matter in this dish, do they? What matters is the oh-so-creamy and cheesy sauce and the crispy topping.
As you know, traditional mac isn’t healthy. Or diet friendly. Especially if you buy it in a box. Homemade is a little better since you can control the ingredients. However, most recipes I find for baked mac have almost 2 sticks of butter! I’m all about butter, but 2 sticks? Really Paula Deen? Instead of a box of butter and 30 ounces of cheese, I subbed in some creamy non-fat and 2% CHO.
I’ve had regular mac and skinny mac, both of which were delicious. However, they don’t hold a FLAME to this recipe. The Greek yogurt addition gives this sauce a bit of a tang and makes it 1000x creamier. It tastes indulgent and decadent without the extra calories or fat. That in my book is a double whammy.
Guys, believe me when I say this, AGAIN. This is the creamiest, most decadent, most delicious macaroni and cheese I’ve ever had. Even better than the baked gnocchi. I know, I know. BOLD statement. But just try it, okay? I promise you’ll be a CHO macaroni convert in no time.
Inspired by this recipe.
Chobani Baked Mac n’ Cheese
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE
Serves about 7 – 8
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 32 minutes
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces macaroni, penne or farfelle noodles
- 4 1/2 tablespoons butter
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 1 cup nonfat milk
- 1/2 cup nonfat Chobani
- 6 ounces part skim cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon 2% Chobani
- Liberal dashes salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 3 quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Bring noodles to a boil in water, rinse and set aside.
- In a large pan, heat 1/2 tablespoon butter. Add onions and cook on medium high heat until just translucent, about 3 – 4 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. In the same pan, heat remaining butter. Add flour and cook about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in milk and 1/2 cup yogurt until mixture is thick. Remove from heat and stir in cheddar, mozzarella and 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese and remaining 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon yogurt. Mix well. Add salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon chili powder. Mix onions, pasta and sauce together.
- Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with bread crumbs, remaining 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese and 1 tablespoon chili powder. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and bread crumbs have browned.
Nutritional information per 1 cup serving:
Calories: 289
Fat: 12 grams
Carbohydrates: 28 grams
Protein: 14.5 grams
Fiber: 4.5 grams
Weight Watchers Points Plus Points: 7
Yummy! Must try
XOXO,KT
TheSouthernBeautyNerd